Over the course of our lives, we inevitably get attached to things. It could be clothes, shoes, books, cutlery, furniture or accessories that we love. In the long run, we end up having lots of items that congest our homes and our minds, as a result. When your house becomes to cluttered, you may find yourself postponing tidying up (It’s only natural). After all nobody likes organising a house that is too congested. KonMari method comes to your aid.

KonMari is a method of decluttering your home, developed by Japanese tidying expert and author of the bestselling book The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up; Marie Kondo.Marie came up with KonMari as she tried to declutter her own home. She has since established a loyal following to her methods and even stars in her own Netflix Original show Tidying Up with Marie Kondo.

The KonMari approach to decluttering a home has gained popularity due to the fact that the approach puts emphasis on discarding items that lack value prior to tidying up. The most universal way of tidying a home involves tidying up one room at a time until the entire house is, well, tidy. The problem with this is, it only takes care of optics. Your stuff end up neatly arranged, but your home remains cluttered. Kondo offers an alternative approach; sort your belongings category by category, not room by room.

The idea is to end up with a minimalistic home at the end of tidying up. First off, you need to commit yourself to tidying up. It is not going to be an easy task. So set a date, rise early and have an uplifting playlist standby. Then, create a checklist of categories of items that seem to have set up shop in your home. Kondo gives us five categories; books, clothes, papers, miscellaneous and sentimental items.

Do declutter your home, you need to discard quite a number of the items in each category. The trick is to get rid of all items in each category that you no longer use. This means removing all your clothes from the closet,or books from the bookshelf. To determine the cut, assess each item while considering if it ‘sparks joy’. If you find yourself getting biased, switch the game by determining how frequently you use each item. Marie advises that you completely exhaust one category before moving to the next.

At the end of sorting your stuff, you are left with a smaller pile of what goes back into its place. This allows you to visualize how you want your ‘new life’ to be. It also provides insight on how best to arrange the stuff. Ideally, you end up tidying your home in a manner that is convenient, effective and less stressful for the next time you wish to do some cleaning up. Ultimately, a decluttered home is the pot of gold at the end of the exercise.

The KonMari method is effective even for folks looking for new apartments for rent, as you end up moving into your new home with only the items that spark joy in your life. Make a lifestyle of applying KonMari in all your tidying, and live an organized, stress free and decluttered life!

Are you considering inviting your senior loved one to live with you? That’s sweet of you. Before you do so, you need to have in mind that when living with a senior citizen, the everyday routine in the house becomes irrevocably different. Most senior citizens have limited mobility, their natural dexterity too has reduced considerably over the years. Which is why you must modify the environment to make their stay as convenient, and as comfortable as possible. These are some adjustments you need to make.

If you’re living in a two-storey apartment, make the necessary modifications on the ground floor, so that your elderly loved one won’t need to take the stairs to access utilities. If you don’t wish to modify the ground floor, yet you prefer living in an apartment with several floors up, make mobility a priority by settling for an apartment that has elevators. If your new family member is not too frail to take the stairs, you still need to make some adjustments. Installing support rails on either side of the stairs will provide the extra support an elderly person needs. Further, adding contrast strips on the stairs increases visibility, reducing the chance of tripping due to a misstep.

Doorways inside the house have thresholds. Installing indoor threshold ramps allow seniors to go through such doors with minimum hassle. If you are hosting a senior that is dependent on crutches or a wheelchair, ensure you accommodate them by widening your doorways.

To promote their health, physicians recommend that seniors to take short walks around the compound and bask under the morning sun. This calls for improved mobility around the compound. If the pavements show any signs of uneven surfaces and cracks, talk to your landlord about repaving them. The contractor can also add scuffing to the sidewalks to improve footing especially for seniors that use crutches.

Senior citizens, especially female ones, appreciate spending some time in the kitchen. You may need to invest in easy-to-use and easy-to-read kitchen appliances. Additionally, you may have to adjust your kitchen layout to one that favors mobility and reachability. The island kitchen design is a great choice since not only does it allow easy mobility, but it also lets you install low cabinets, sinks, and ovens that are easily accessible. Also, consider switching to sliding glass shelves. They allow the seniors to easily identify what items are in which cabinet and reach them with minimal chance of being hit by the cabinet door.

The bathroom area can be quite hazardous for a senior citizen. The bathroom should be safe, easy to access and use. Consider using non-skid bathroom mats and installing slip-prevention flooring. Additionally, install support bars along the shower walls. Also, consider installing bathtub transfer benches. These aid the senior to sit and have support while getting into the bathtub.

Adjusting your home to accommodate a senior is more of a marathon than a sprint. Ensure you plan the entire renovation with the help of a professional for the most effective solutions.

Would you love to transform your house from blah to fantastic with just a few changes? Something as simple as working on your indoor lighting can change the ambience in your house and set the right mood. But when using lighting to transform a house, aesthetics is one thing to consider, and functionality another. Since each room in your house serves a different purpose, you need the right type of lighting that combines both appeal and functionality. Designers have now come up with a range lighting designs, so you will undoubtedly be spoilt for choice. But the many options in the market may also leave you quite confused. This article gives you a kickstart when shopping for lighting for the most common rooms in your home; the living room, kitchen, and bedrooms.

Let’s start with the living room. If you’re like most people, you spend most of your time in the living room. It’s in the living room that you watch your favorite TV series, where you host your guests, and also where you catch up with other family members. Ambient lighting uniformly illuminates an entire living room making it a great option for the living room. You can incorporate ambient lighting by installing overhead lighting across the room. You could either strategically hang a chandelier such that it illuminates the entire living room. Or better still, for a more creative look, install multiple lighting fixtures and then play around with different colors of light.

No onto the kitchen area. To increase visibility, your kitchen also requires ambient lighting However, forego hanging lights as grease and heat from frequent cooking will cloud up the bulbs over time. Pot lights offer the same ambient lighting as hanging lights, but with a lesser chance of clouding up over time. Alternatively, you may opt for skylights. These are leak-proof glass windows installed inside a cut-out in your roof. Skylights offer two major advantages. First, they are a source of natural lighting and ventilation. Even on the cloudiest of days, your kitchen is guaranteed of being lit up all day long. Secondly, skylights you from high electric bills by eliminating the need for artificial lighting until absolutely necessary.

And finally, we get to the bedrooms. Generally, bedrooms are meant to have a subtle feel. You wouldn’t want too much lighting in a room that is mostly meant for sleep, would you? Instead of ambient lighting, go for accent lighting. This type of lighting highlights specific sections in your bedroom.For instance, you could get a bedside lamp for either side of your bed. Collectively, several accent lightings provide the right amount of light you prefer. If you like to enjoy a good read before you hit the sack, compliment the accent lighting with task lighting. Task lighting is meant to focus the illumination onto your work area.

You can also diversify. For instance, if you are looking for 3-bedroom apartments for rent, chose one that allows you to play around with the lighting with the least renovation costs. In one bedroom you can get artistic with accent lighting, while in another you can add low-light pot lights. In the baby room, you can use shaded hanging lights to provide ambient lighting.

While pot lights are rigid, both table lamps and hanging lights provide unique designs. Remember, the only limit to indoor lighting is your imagination!

It’s no longer just about cats and dogs. If you live in a rented house, you might want to consider other alternatives such as the critters; they are smaller in size, less noisy and more suitable for apartment living. But even as you consider small pets, there are many adorable tiny options that may leave you wondering: ″should our new addition have fins or fur?″ This article will walk you through the best small critters that will reward you and your family with compassionate ease.

Hamsters, sometimes called pocket pets due to their small size, have been around since the 1930s and have since gained popularity among many homeowners. Because of their nocturnal nature, these easy-to-care-for pets are great when you have children 8 years and above. There are different breeds of hamsters with the common ones being the golden hamster and the Roborovski dwarf hamster. While the former can grow up to 7 inches, the latter is only 2 inches in length. To keep them healthy, hamsters’ diet should include commercial pellets, occasional treats of fruits and vegetables, cheese and fresh water. Wondering how to house one? There are a variety hamster cage options available online and pet stores.

If you’re looking for a playmate for your children, there are few pets as playful as ferrets. With their mischievous eyes, sweet faces, and curious nature, ferrets are undeniably adorable. Although some ferrets live up to 12 years, most live for about 6 to 8 years so they’ll make a sweet long-term pet. When living in an apartment, you want a pet that makes as little noise as possible and ferrets fit in this equation perfectly. For the most part, ferrets are very quiet and will only vocalize when frightened or injured. For their feeding needs, you will find pre-made ferrets foods in most pet stores or online. If you prefer a calmer yet furrier friend for your children, opt for a rabbit. Rabbits have a strange mix of cat- and dog-like qualities. They can be as silly and playful as kittens or puppies, and as fascinating as cats or as openly affectionate as dogs.

In the world of keeping pets, cats are usually more common than dogs, but fish rules over them both. Often apartment building “no pet” rules don’t apply to fish, thanks to their quiet nature and their ability to be confined. Fish have a minimal space requirement and even those living in a small apartment can afford some space for a mini-aquarium. Apart from their aesthetics benefits, fish has been known to have a positive impact on the health of the owner. Just watching fish swim in the aquarium can lower stress and blood pressure in adults. Moreover, children who have hyperactivity disorder can also benefit from the calm swirls of the fish. Even more startling, patients of Alzheimer’s disease recorded improved appetite and reduced violent outbursts after watching aquariums.

If you’re not a cat or dog lover, you now know there are many other pet alternatives to choose from. Whatever your choice of pet, of importance, is to get as much information about the pet as possible. For more information on pet friendly apartments for rent contact Your Next Place today!

Hello sweet fairies! The sun gradually fades into the dark, slowly giving way for the moon, the stars are twinkling with all their might and all you want is to enjoy the glorious journey of a few hours in sweet slumber. But It’s 3 a.m. and you’re still tossing and turning. What’s the problem? You no longer feel that excitement you used to whenever you’d walk into the bedroom and lately, you no longer sleep soundly like you used to. Chances are that your bedroom is no longer a comfort-boosting oasis.

The smell in your bedroom may have something to do with your waning excitement. Who doesn’t like fresh, inviting and perhaps gently fragranced scents? Smell is highly emotive which is why the perfume industry is a billion-dollar industry. Perfumer manufacturers develop fragrances that convey a vast array of emotions and feelings; from vitality to relaxation desire to power. To bring back some luster back to your bedroom, first start by restoring the freshness in your bedroom, then consider placing some naturally scented herbs such as cinnamon stickers, bunches of lavender or even thyme in your room. If your bedroom is dusty, musty or just plain stinky, then you shouldn’t wonder why you no longer like spending time there. To restore the freshness of your downtown Winnipeg apartments, open the windows, wash the sheets, and clean the carpet.

To bring back its luster, depersonalize the room then and personalize it all over again. Most people understand the essence of personalized spaces. But, favorite things too, do get boring. Your once favorite color will fade out and start to dull your moods, that sculptural wall hanging will at some time start to show fault, and even that handmade rug may also begin to show signs of age. To bring in the once lived shimmer, you can update your photos and any other wall hangings in your bedroom to match the changing events in your life. For example, if you recently got a baby, include that photo somewhere in the bedroom. Again, small changes such as installing wallpaper with your current favorite color will bring some life back to your bedroom.

If your bedroom is beginning to feel dark and claustrophobic, that explains why you no longer enjoy spending time there. As Andy Warhol said, ″I believe in low lights and trick mirrors.″ You can combine lights and mirrors to make a small space look expanse and inviting. From decorative overhead lighting to bedside table lamps and floor lamps, there’s a whole range of lighting to choose from. Even as you play around with lighting, remember, soft lighting such as the crisp pales shades work best for bedrooms. For major visual impact and enhanced ambiance place a large mirror against the bedroom wall. The reflection will not only spruce up the room but also make it look and feel larger. When you play around with lighting and mirrors, even if you do nothing else to that bedroom, the change will be undeniable.

When you give your bedroom a cold shoulder, you’re reducing the tranquility of that special room and diminishing the restorative power of a great sleep as a result. A little creativity will help you turn a snug bedroom into a dreamy retreat.

Have you ever entered someone’s house and nothing really caught your attention? If this is was the case, either the room lacked a focal point or simply, the owner didn’t understand how to stage their living room. When you create a focal point in your living room and arrange your furniture around it, your house becomes more re-energized and inviting. A focal point can be an accent wall, a fireplace, artwork, mirrors or even a dramatic piece of furniture. The choice of features depends on your creativity, so ideas here are endless.

Artistic pieces can provide a focal feature in your Winnipeg luxury apartments living room. If you decide to use a piece of artwork, mount it where it’s visible from your house’s entry point. The art piece should be proportional to the size of the wall. That is, if you have a large wall, go for a large piece of artwork. For smaller walls, you can tightly group even number of art pieces works to create a focal point. Clever backlighting can create a dramatic effect emphasizing the art piece.

If your living room is devoid of architectural features, an accent wall can be a perfect focal point. For a permanent pattern you can use either stones or tiles, and for temporal patterns, you can use wallpapers. Wallpapers are available in seemingly unending variety of colors, textures and patterns. When choosing the wallpaper, go for something that complements your walls. You can cover only one side of your living rooms wall to create a visual punch.

A fireplace can be a breathtaking focal point for your living room, but besides this, fireplaces also help cut energy bills especially during winter. That’s because fireplaces provide a natural way of heating a room without the need to use electricity. Other than these two benefits, fireplaces have a way of evoking storytelling buds in people, you can always cozy up in front of the roaring fire swapping stories with your family members. On this note, safety is prime when installing fireplaces. To remove combustible elements while still retaining the warmth of the fireplace in the house, install a direct-vent fireplace.

Armoires make sumptuous focal point choices. Their sheer size will command attention in any room. To make the even more eye-catching,, accessorize inside the armoire using colorful accessories, baskets, or even small paintings. You could also place lovely vases with plants on top of the armoire as décor.

When choosing a focal point in your living room, a great place is to start is to identify the first thing you see when you enter the room. If your living room lacks this point, create one by introducing the ideas presented above. The focal point of a room does not necessarily have to be anything grandiose or large in size; a nicely crafted ocean-blue globe can stage your living room just as perfectly- it all depends on how well you display it. Keep in mind, what really makes an impressive focal point is the visual display; not amount of space it takes up in the room.